One of the most frequent complaints about current autopilot and flight management systems is confusion about what the automatic system is doing or what it is going to do. This is often expressed by the pilot as “What's it doing now!” The problem is exacerbated in the pilot's mind by the extensive list of tasks the automatic system could be doing. In general the pilot is expected to understand what the system is doing based on textual indications and annunciations and his or her knowledge of the system. Interpreting the system indications and annunciations often requires significant system knowledge.
Some current systems use graphics to show what the guidance system is currently doing, but do not make those graphic indications unique, nor do they show what the system will do next.
This Background is provided to introduce a brief context for the Summary and Detailed Description that follow. This Background is not intended to be an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter nor be viewed as limiting the claimed subject matter to implementations that solve any or all of the disadvantages or problems presented above.